Chicken Noodle Casserole
- Carbohydrate 128.709640686519 g
- Cholesterol 727.941596791806 mg
- Fat 126.168223088641 g
- Fiber 5.63970549269136 g
- Protein 139.117754831276 g
- Saturated Fat 74.7541563206618 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (937g)
- Sodium 4555.2693999988 mg
- Sugar 123.069935193827 g
- Trans Fat 10.2198776374347 g
- Calories 2219 calories
Step-by-step
- Poach chicken in a large pot of simmering water. Cook until no longer pink in center, about 12 minutes. Remove from pot and set aside. Bring chicken cooking water to a boil and cook pasta in it. Drain. Cut chicken into small pieces, and mix with noodles.
- In a separate bowl, mix together mushroom soup, chicken soup, and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper. Gently stir together cream soup mixture with the chicken mixture. Place in a 2 quart baking dish.
- Melt butter in a small saucepan, and remove from heat. Stir in crumbled crackers. Top casserole with the buttery crackers.
- Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 30 minutes, until heated through and browned on top.
Swapping the condensed cream of mushroom soup for a scratch-made velouté will fundamentally alter the moisture retention and salt balance of the dish. Cooking pasta directly in the water used to poach the chicken infuses the egg noodles with extra protein and flavor before they ever reach the baking dish. While a two-quart baking dish is standard for this formulation, any oven-safe vessel of similar volume will suffice if you lack dedicated casserole cookware.
Judging Doneness Without a Thermometer
Because chicken breasts overcook easily, visual and tactile indicators are critical when no instant-read thermometer is available. Simmer the four chicken breast halves for precisely 12 minutes, then slice the thickest portion of the largest piece open to verify that the interior is opaque white rather than translucent pink. Once assembled and placed in a 350 degree F oven, watch the topping rather than the timer. The casserole is fully heated through when the crumbled buttery round crackers achieve a deep golden-brown hue and the combined cream and sour cream mixture begins to bubble actively at the edges of the pan, typically requiring about 30 minutes.
- If the cracker topping browns too quickly before the center is hot, loosely tent the baking dish with aluminum foil for the final 10 minutes of baking.
- Drain the egg noodles thoroughly after boiling to prevent excess poaching liquid from diluting the condensed soup and sour cream binding agent.
